The 28-year-old athlete has not recovered from the injury she received during training three years ago. She had been hit from behind by a motorcycle, while practising with her teammates in Da Nang. Her right leg was injured in the incident.

"I still desire to run, but after years of treatment, my leg hasn't completely recovered. I can't run now. I will now coach the Ninh Binh athletics team," said Hang.

Hang is the Vietnamese record holder in both the 800m and 1,500m events. She is one of Asia's foremost middle-distance runners, having been the Asian champion in the 800m indoor and outdoor events.

She was a double silver medallist at the 2010 Asian Games. She was also very successful at the Southeast Asian Games, where she won gold medals on five occasions from 2005 to 2009. — VNS